Curiosity
by Captain Risu
Summary: Satellite Maintenance Leader Kendou Itsuka has faced several challenges during her duties in the past. When an accident occurs, Kendou's choice brings her a step closer to the answer they had been searching for all along.


**A/N: ****This is my fic piece for the Astraeus Space Zine! It was an honor to work together with so many amazing artists and writers to raise funds for The Trevor Project! I enjoyed the whole process greatly, and it was fun to indulge myself into writing about Mecha suits and space with no other than the kickass Kendou (she is one of my favorite BNHA girls in the series). ^w^ **

**Also, a big thank you to my lovely beta readers, kacchansass (twitter) and myloveistoblame (tumblr) for their tremendous help into polishing this story. This fic wouldn't have been the same without you~ **

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"Ground Control to Major Tom. Do you copy?"

Kendou smiled as her T-5 mobile suit came to a halt in a series of tremors. The crew never stopped finding new ways to joke about her promotion for the past six months. It didn't bother her though. Kendou considered it endearing that they indulged her when she was blasting classical music during work. It made the routine of the Satellite much more bearable.

She flicked the intercom switch over her head. "Major Tom to Ground Control. How are you guys?"

"Same old, same old." Fukidashi's voice wavered through the speakers, the volume rising and lowering as if he was underwater. It was a common characteristic of his species as their heads were an ever-shifting liquid. "Anything new to report, Major?"

Kendou glanced to her right. Floating like a pearly white lance in front of Beta, the Satellite continued its orbit around the planet. Her mobile suit clung onto the third crescent structure that circled around the main shaft. Its slow rotation always allowed Kendou to see Alnitak Aa in the distance. Despite several parsecs separating them, her home planet was not able to hide the blue supergiant star. It reminded Kendou of a permanent sun rising behind an invisible horizon.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," she said. "Dunno if the others have anything else to report."

"Aren't they with you?" he asked.

"I'm on my way to them." A cold feeling traveled along her spine, and Kendou restarted the suit. "What's wrong?"

Fukidashi took a lot of awful seconds to reply. "We haven't been able to reach them for fifteen minutes now."

"And their marks?"

"They are all glitching except yours. I thought it was another interference honestly."

She sighed. "No need to panic. Make sure backup is on standby and wait for my signal."

"Roger!"

The T-5 gained speed, its legs thumping against the surface of the Satellite. Her heartbeat pounded as if Kendou was the one running, and her link with the suit wasn't the only thing responsible. Even the slightest deviation from the routine amounted to a threat. That was the nature of working on nothing remotely Earth-based.

The construction site came into focus along with the bright red TALOS suits of her teammates. They were under attack. Bots swarmed over their every direction as if the surface had come to life. Whatever they did must have been serious to receive such a massive reaction. Kendou didn't want to point fingers at the moment. She wanted them safe. With a powerful jump, she landed on a robot that threatened the T-6 of Kodai Yui.

"You okay?" Kendou asked.

Kodai gave her a thumbs-up with the suit.

Kendou pointed in the direction she came from. "Communication works that way. Tell them we need reinforcements."

Kodai seemed hesitant but lead the T-6 away nonetheless.

Up ahead, the rest of the team took a stand against the onslaught. Kendou dashed to their aid, tearing a robot from the T-13's back.

"Nice save!" Tetsutetsu shouted through the intercom.

They stood back to back, striking down any blue light that moved. The security robots were quick on their four legs. Graced with sharp teeth and claws, they were set on tearing the TALOS suits apart.

The last member with his T-1 was kneeling a few meters away. "Care to explain what's going on?" Kendou asked him.

"_Malfunctioning_," Awase said, panic coloring his words. "Give me two minutes."

"That's no simple malfunctioning. What did you do?"

"Nothing! I swear!"

"It all started after we cut that damn cable," Tetsutetsu grumbled.

"You did what?!" she yelled.

"It snapped on its own! The thing was at least a hundred years old, for fuck's sake. Whoever thought the TALOS suited this job is beyond me. I mean, look at these!" Awase rattled his suit's burly arms. "You're putting them to better use now."

Kendou punched a robot out of the T-1's range. "Stop complaining like an old man and tell me the plan."

"I say we punch the thing into oblivion," Tetsutetsu said.

Awase cursed under his breath. "I'm trying to glue these things together and bypass the security protocol on this delicate equipment. And _this_ is your two cents?"

Kendou didn't disagree with his reasoning. They strived to maintain a balance with this ancient machinery in the hope that it'd reveal its secrets. Violent approaches were frowned upon for that reason. They had to do something though. Damaging one small part of the Satellite wouldn't be too troublesome. After decades of human space exploration, the technology still needed a good whack from time to time. Tools don't make craftsmen; it is how they use them.

"Tetsutetsu! We'll go with your plan!"

The T-13 turned around mid-punch. A jumbled mess of vowels came through the intercom as its owner tried to object.

"You serious?!" Awase screamed instead. "What part of '_This is delicate equipment_' you didn't catch?"

"We are running out of time! I'm gonna do it," she said. "Just get out of the way."

"Are you sure, boss?"

In the past, Kendou would have never done anything this reckless. She would have analyzed every variable and form a cohesive plan. They were in space, the most dangerous frontier humans had ever crossed. One thoughtless action and her life would have been at stake. But she would do anything to protect her team. After going through a lot together, their bonds ran deep enough for her to consider them as family.

"Yes! Now take him out of here!"

Tetsutetsu grabbed the T-1 from behind. While Awase struggled to free the suit from his wrestling hold, the T-13's thrusters led both suits into the darkness of the cosmos.

The moment they were out of reach, Kendou slammed her fist on the control panel. Cracks spread on the Satellite's surface beneath her feet. She felt rather than heard the rumble it produced, waiting until it stopped to pull her hand back. The suit's fingers opened with ease. Nothing seemed damaged. Whopping cheers resonated through the intercom as she looked up to reassure them. Then all hell broke loose.

The explosion was soundless, as everything in space should be. So the T-5's speakers only received Kendou's screams. The destroyed arms unraveled outside her broken windshield like puzzle pieces floating away to join the stars. Numb and in great pain, Kendou plummeted helplessly under the crescent. Beta's sole star appeared before her. Together with Alnitak, they cast a crown of light over the planet. Blues and reds and yellows spread around her like spilled watercolors over a dark canvas. Despite her desperation, Kendou was still wishing to protect this breathtaking view with all of her heart.

As she continued her descent into the planet's shadow, a slice of light remained flickering outside the suit. Slowly, it transformed into a figure much alike Kendou's. The celestial woman's fair skin gave off a golden glow, bright enough to conceal the details of her features. Her long midnight hair blended with the cosmos; constellations dancing among the strands.

The woman entered the cockpit as if nothing was there to stop her. With no further resistance, her hands cupped Kendou's face. They were warm, anchoring Kendou against the crippling cold that wanted to consume her whole. Her breath fogged the glass of her helmet. Still, the celestial's eyes remained visible like two pools of endless night and knowledge. Leaning close enough for their foreheads to touch, the brightness of the lady's form consumed Kendou's line of vision. Her consciousness followed as everything faded to black.

* * *

Voices called her name. Someone shook Kendou's shoulders. Opening her eyes, a blue light greeted her from above. It bounced on Tetsutetsu's rigid hairdo, giving it a metallic glint. Tears shined on the keratin spikes around his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he shouted.

A cane smacked him on the shoulder. "She will be, if you give her some room to breathe."

Tetsutetsu stepped back to reveal Shuzenji Chiyo, the space station's head doctor. Behind her Awase and Kodai observed the scene, visibly relaxing after a good look at Kendou.

They were in the station's infirmary. Screens stood in place of windows, usually running diagnostics on the current patients—Kendou in this case.

"Boss…" Awase started, clenching his fists on his sides. "We… I'm sorry for what happened! I'm ready to receive my punishment!"

"Wait a minute, man! It was my idea. You should punish me!" Tetsutetsu said patting his chest.

Shuzenji smacked their shins with deadly accuracy. "What are you younglings saying? The woman just woke up. Leave this for a later date."

Raising her arm, Kendou returned their attention to the bed. "It's okay... Granny." Her voice sounded as scratchy as it was on her throat. "It was... my call to make."

"But-"

"No buts. She needs rest so get out!" Shuzenji pushed all three through the door and sighed when the opening closed again. "How are you feeling, dear?"

Kendou stared at her arm. Every part of her body felt sluggish but she could move without thinking. This shouldn't be possible. In the back of her mind, she still remembered the agony of being trapped inside her own body.

"Thank the stars something disconnected you or the damage would have been significantly worse. Your nervous system is still in shock," Shuzenji said as she checked Kendou's vitals. "Security robots and mines? Millennia might separate our civilizations, but we think alike. Such a shame."

"Granny. I saw one of the Ancients."

The old lady looked up from the tablet but said nothing, prompting her to continue.

"I wasn't disconnected. My hands didn't budge. I couldn't do anything about the controls. Then _she_ appeared." Kendou's breath dropped as she replayed that moment. "Like a ghost in space."

"People hallucinate many things during a situation like this. Our radars caught no other heat signature than yours." Shuzenji clasped her shoulder. "This was probably only a vision."

Kendou nodded reluctantly.

While listening to the rest of the doctor's report, her luck became apparent. Other than the lack of limb-coordination, she had minimal injuries. Two weeks of rehab and she'd return to her duties without a problem.

The reality of going through it turned out to be less simple. Her feet refused to step one after the other. Her fingers wouldn't hold onto anything. However, Kendou had faced similar problems when she first applied for the space program. Truths which had shaped her entire life didn't apply on zero gravity. This gave her hope and before long, Kendou stood inside the hangar again.

"How does it feel being back?" Awase asked from her left.

Kendou finished securing her long auburn ponytail inside the helmet. "I didn't expect much and you know what? I wasn't disappointed."

He snorted. "For one, I'm glad you're back. These past few weeks were hell."

"Monoma can't be that bad of a commander."

"Just a shitload overzealous. Not gonna lie. It was a nice change of pace but it's different with you, boss."

"Yeah, I'm more likely to save your butt." She punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"Truer words have never been spoken!" Tetsutetsu said as he enveloped both into a tight hug. "Let's go, Red Oni Team!"

"Please don't call us odd names," Kodai said as they boarded their suits.

Stepping outside, Kendou was pleased to find the same void and stars. The Satellite was in the same spot too; its presence reminding her of an old promise.

"_I'm gonna find what you are..." Her nine-year-old self vowed, stargazing from their front porch._

Kendou knew she had only a slim chance of learning the Satellite's true purpose in her lifetime. It'd be too much to ask for the universe to reveal the rest of its many secrets. But maybe everything was more connected than it seemed. So, if she continued down this path, would it be possible to meet her savior again?

Although the cosmos remained silent, some stars flickered a little stronger than before.

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**A/N: ****For those that have purchased the zine, you might have noticed the ending here is kinda different from what's in the zine. The truth is I overestimated my word count and ended up with two additional pages. It resulted in me changing the ending to be fair for the rest of my fellow colleagues. But I really liked my original ending so this is what you see here. You could say the zine ending is exclusive to those who bought it in a way XDD **


End file.
